Kazuo Hanazawa
Kazuo Hanazawa (一男花沢, "First Male - Flower Marsh") is the current of the 2nd Division. Serving under the illustrious Shihouin Kurama. An ultimately good-hearted if reserved man, many find it strange that a person like Kazuo has somehow managed to become the Third Seat of the Second Division. The truth of the matter is that Kazuo chose his current division because of how well it pays in comparison to the other divisions, as he's effectively paid twice, once as his ordinary wage, and again for any secondary missions he's completed. Given his reasoning, one might get the impression that he's merely after the money, but that's a misleading belief. The truth is markedly different, as although he's loath to admit it, Kazuo is the lone guardian for both of his younger sisters, Natsuin and Koroko, and the money he earns is mainly spent tending to their needs. Born into poverty as he is, he's taken steps to ensure that his siblings grow up without lacking anything. An excellent cook, Kazuo often finds himself preparing meals for his division in their barracks. The Lieutenant earned the affection and respect of his subordinates much more quickly than one might've first anticipated. Appearance A man of the proper height, Kazuo stands tall in the face of adversity. Shaggy black hair framing sharp angular features, piercing eyes and a well-cut mouth. His wardrobe is typically simple and spartan, only wearing what's strictly necessary, as he's not the man for accessories of any kind. Accustomed to living on the streets as he is. His body is strong, with well-defined arms and powerful hands, speaking of many years of intensive labour to provide for his sisters. Although he might've had a tough childhood, he doesn't let it show, and presents himself as reliable and self-disciplined. Kazuo is typically seen wearing the typical garbs of a Shinigami, referred to as a by most. He has customised the garment to be completely sleeveless, to make it easier to move in battle as well as leaving his arms free of any restriction. Because as a trained assassin and member of the Second Division he needs to have absolute control of his limbs at all times. Tied around his upper arm is the Lieutenant badge, which marks him as an officer in the Gotei 13. Personality At a glance, one might get the impression that Kazuo is the type of guy who enjoys fighting, who enjoys doing what he has to do, and whose only motivation is his wellbeing. He certainly looks the part, and the young Shinigami has taken to embrace this aspect as a mask. His mannerisms are rough and direct, he barks orders at his underlings and sees to his duties as a Lieutenant with diligence, his paperwork tended to and his office always neat and tidy. He's a man who follows the law, does as he's told and is not unaccustomed to putting his dignity or compassion away to succeed in his line of work. Only results have mattered in the past, what's important to Kazuo is not his sense of morals, but that the job gets done and his sisters get what they need to live a fulfilling life. Because he rarely lets people see himself for who he is, the 2nd Division Lieutenant has few friends, and he rarely spends any time at all in any of the amusement districts which his colleagues seem to frequent so often. Spending most of his time with his sisters, for fear of them feeling left alone due to his long work hours. By being there for them throughout their entire life, Kazuo hopes to give them the childhood that he never got. Although he admittedly does his best, he's still their brother, not their parent and this is new territory for everyone involved, and all Hanazawa can do is try his hardest to provide for their well-being, but raising two young girls has thus far proven to be much more complicated than he'd thought. Between his problems at home, his responsibilities as an Officer and having Shihouin Kurama as his Captain, Kazuo tends to brood a lot. As he's unable to care for his siblings during the day, they're instead tended to by a hired maid, a kindly old woman who they've taken to calling grandmother. This maid sees the tragedy of the situation, and frequently advices the Shinigami on how to care for his siblings, being one of the few people he can confide in about the matter, anyone else who inquires being quickly shot down. Its widely understood that she's agreed to helping him more out of the kindness in her heart than anything else, as even with all the additional shifts and jobs, Kazuo's ability to pay her is somewhat limited. Kazuo's also noted to be very patient, he appropriately responds to his subordinates and has grown accustomed to and accepted his Captains mischievous actions, becoming indifferent to them and merely resolving to go on with his duties as usual. Even the strange antics of his captain won't deter from fulfilling his commitment to the Gotei 13 or his siblings. He has responsibilities as a Lieutenant, and he takes them very seriously. As someone who has grown up in less affluent circumstances than most, Kazuo is practical and pragmatic, rarely allowing himself to be caught off-guard by anything. The Lieutenant is, simply put, unflappable, rarely showing any signs of distress or excitement - keeping himself calm and composed at all times. Some might even label him as being apathetic, as he remains mostly unbothered by the world around him, focusing instead on his goal. History Powers & Abilities : Being a Seated Officer of the , Kazuo sports a high amount of spiritual power which dwarfs that of most lower-ranked officers in its sheer quantity. He can exert his energy in the form of a powerful , allowing him to fend off weaker opponents and intimidate would-be attackers. Despite his rough appearance, Kazuo is remarkably proficient in controlling the flow of his reiryoku, as well as managing its quantity in battle; for this reason, he doesn't easily tire. When brought to bear, his spiritual energy can be felt at a large distance, suffusing the battlefield with crimson specks of light. Kazuo's spiritual energy is of vivid red colour. When fully released, it's been known to cause burns on nearby foes. : As a Shinigami of high rank, Kazuo's skill with swordsmanship easily exceeds that of most human practitioners, being capable of moving his blade in ways that mortals would find truly awe-inspiring. But in comparison to other officers, they're at most average. Ever pragmatic, Kazuo considers Zanjutsu the least useful of the four branches of Shinigami combat. Reasoning that experts seem to be in overabundance and yet of low demand, as to how a Lieutenant may employ it are rather limited. That's not to say that he's unskilled; indeed, disinterested might be a better word, and when he's forced to use a blade, he handles it proficiently. His fellow Lieutenants and members of his division have remarked upon what a defensive fighter Kazuo is. In battle, he never strikes first, biding his time and encircling his opponent, hand on the hilt, he never rushes in and instead focuses entirely on parrying and counterattacking, utilising his superior speed to surprise aggressive opponent while gradually forcing them to fight passively. Because of his defensive focus, he's studied a wide variety of sword styles, each to grant him access to different ways to successfully defend against his opponent's attacks. His efforts have paid off, and Hanazawa is consequently able to hold his own even against much more skilled swordsmen. His training as an assassin is reflected in his attacks, as he never fights fair, always aiming to disable and make his job more manageable. : Much in contrast to his rough-looking appearance and manners, Kazuo's control over his spiritual energy and understanding of its very flow and composition renders him a competent user of magic. Back in his days at the academy, he excelled in this field, graduating as one of the top ten students in this field, since then he's only honed his prowess further. Yes, his talents were noteworthy enough for the Kidō Corps to consider taking him in, they changed their mind, however. As while he intrigued them, he couldn't measure up to the hidden guild of wizards. Like most individuals that fail to meet their expectations, Kazuo was never made aware of what he could have achieved. As the Lieutenant of the Second Division and his affiliation with the Omnitsukidō, the young Shinigami is particularly well-versed in spells that make his job easier. Hanazawa's repertoire includes a rich variety of powerful spells, with him boasting greater proficiency in the spells associated with the Omnitsukido. In combat, Kazuo can by magic, he's also skilled enough to accomplish this with smaller objects, most commonly his Wakizashi or . Furthermore, he possesses a powerful magical offence of multiple layers, including summoning forth powerful to breach the defences of his target, to immediate annihilation through the violet flames of . Yes, Kazuo's proficiency with Kidō even allows him to utilise some rare in-battle healing spells, most notably and . Outside of combat, Kazuo has displayed remarkable knowledge of a variety of utilitarian spells, perhaps most noteworthy being the spells and , that allows him to track a key target over immense distances, and allows him to transmit his captains orders or his own Intel to massive groups of people all at once. He's also capable of casting Sai silently by exchanging the verbal components with extended somatic ones, a skill derived from the Kidō Corps called Hojūeishō (補充詠唱, Lit. "Exchanged Incantation"), the extended movements being an added flourish to the casting motion, the spell is otherwise cast at full-power. *'Spellcasting Ability': An accomplished expert in the noble art of Kidō, Kazuo is capable of casting spells into the early nineties of both Bakudo and Hadō. Although most of the higher-ranked ones require a full incantation if he is to perform them at all, attempts at casting them without one tend to fizzle or backfire spectacularly. He's capable of casting most low-level spells without incantation and still have them boast great potency, mid-level spells are cast at full potency as long as he utters their name. Kazuo's expertise in Eishōhaki extends up till the early eighties in the field of Bakudo, allowing him to cast forth a without a chant, and up till the early seventies of Hadō. Overall, his skill in Kidō is considered exemplary for his position. : Among all forms of fast movement, the method utilised by Shunpo is by far the most elegant and refined. Whereas users of ride upon currents of , and users of employ it as a single continuous sprint. Shunpo however, is but simple steps, performed with the aid of the technique, to allow the Shinigami to slide across the battlefield, skill determines by how far one can move with but a single step. The greatest of masters might traverse huge distances in the span of just a few, whereas a practitioner might require several dozen to achieve the same feat. Back in the Academy, Hohō was Kazuo's favourite lesson, as while moving using Shunpo, he might for a time lay all of his troubles behind him and feel the air on his face. His excellent precision at employing his spiritual energy allowing him to use the technique with an apparent ease that marked him as a talent, although he utilised it often and trained with it, upon becoming a part of the Gotei 13, he found that his talents were merely above average. He honed his skills diligently, attempting to master the steps and traverse battlefields quickly, but Shunpo is a delicate art and to hone it further he developed his talents at Kidō as well - noting that the two arts, while completely different, are nonetheless much the same. Formed by the same underlying principles and built on the same foundation. He attained expert-level in Shunpo but still felt like he could push himself even further, that there was something left in him he could draw forth, and he continued relying upon it. Understanding it and even adapted it gradually into his other attacks, utilising a variation to increase his attack speed, not merely the speed at which he moved from one position to the next. In battle, he slowly began to show signs of something more, as he found himself able to disable opponents before they even knew he was there, that fast attacks seemed sluggish and that his opponents became gradually easier to read. He could slip through defences with ease, attack otherwise alert opponents in sudden ambushes and kill indiscriminately. Kazuo could stop rebellions without bloodshed, and the entirety of Soul Society crossed with, but a few steps, the feeling of the wind against his face was always soothing to him, but the pride that swelled in his chest as he understood how good he was at this, was exhilarating. Keeping up with Captains could be accomplished easily after a while, and he was at the cusp of expertise until he was transferred to the Second Division to serve as a Lieutenant. It was then that he learned that Shihouin Kurama was every bit the monster that people claimed him to be. He was the greatest master of them all, an inspiration to all users of Hohō. Every step Kurama took was one who utilised Shunpo, to him it was natural to use it, and thus every single day on duty became one exhausting day of regular exercise and training. Keeping up with him was at first completely impossible, he'd get close enough to get a glance of his Captain's back only for him to cross entire leagues in a single step, through time he began to examine his movements, although they were usually too fast to see. But over several years, it would change. His stamina increased, and his steps took him much farther than before, opponents couldn't see him at all, and Shunpo became an everyday occurrence to him. He could keep up with his Captain, ever chasing his back and taking five to six steps whenever his Captain took but one, allowing him to follow him around and not get hopelessly lost in the Seireitei, as had happened many times before. In time, he was recognised by his peers as a Master of Shunpo, and the strangest thing of all is that Kazuo never noticed it until it was pointed out to him. Today, he's no trouble following most Captains, and he outruns many of them in terms of sheer speed and refinement, all thanks to Kurama's indirect mentorship. : Originally not one of his strong points at all, Hanazawa gravitated towards Hakuda when he graduated from the Academy. The art of using his own body as a weapon appealed to him in a way that mere swordsmanship simply didn't. According to members of his division, Hanazawa is knowledgeable about several Hakuda techniques, including the Ikkotsu and the Sokkotsu, although unsurprisingly, he's unable to perform either. Besides, in the mind of the young Lieutenant, power is not what he requires. Instead, Kazuo examined the teachings of , and although he never strived to become an expert of that particular discipline, he sought to transcend its style and incorporate it within Hohō. He's succeeded to a degree, and in combat he's like the wind, moving both arms and legs at great speeds while incorporating steps into each attack. Opponents who attempt to meet him in hand-to-hand combat quickly find their attacks deflected and turned away, while they have to endure powerful strikes towards their pressure points and vulnerable areas, because as a trained assassin, Kazuo is quick to strike at these points. Like most Chinese Martial Arts, Wing Chun emulates the wind and the waves of the ocean. Few things reflect this ideology as well as Shunpo, for when Hanazawa takes a step, the sudden in-rush of air creates a momentary vacuum towards the point he just left, like the moon pulling on the tides. He's learned how to capitalise on this brief moment of vulnerability, and when he accomplishes it perfectly, he's capable of putting down his adversary in short order, before transitioning towards the next opponent. In exchanges, Kazuo patiently blocks a foe, in a manner which neutralises both their stance and the force of the blow, and submits himself into Shunpo. Through this method, Kazuo typically performs several attacks on several different opponents or several attacks on a single opponent in the same instance. An intermediate-level technique referred to as Shunpo Tangeki (瞬歩短撃, "Flash Step Short Strike"). Trained Assassin: As the current Lieutenant of the Second Division, and someone with ties to the Omnitsukido, Kazuo is a trained assassin, who's fully aware of how to best kill an enemy in short order. He doesn't fight fair and often ruthlessly targets obvious weaknesses. When he moves, he barely makes a sound, and opponents are quickly dispatched without them ever knowing he's there. If he desires to, he's capable of engaging in stealth, inching closer to a target before taking them out in a single instant. He might not look the part, but he was made a Lieutenant for the Second Division for a good reason. Zanpakutō Shūkikōjaku (秋季黄雀, "Autumn Siskin"): In it's sealed state, Shūkikōjaku assumes the form of a of ordinary length, sporting an elaborate design to it's , which depicts various flowers of autumn as well as a motif of migrating birds, it's a pretty blade, to be sure. It's habaki is engraved with similar decorations and upon closer inspection, it depicts falling leaves. Shūkikōjaku's tsuka is wrapped with a soft cloth the colour of amber, and its also decorated with a menuki, shaped into the form of a flock of finches caught mid-flight. The pommel adds to this mystique, as it depicts a standing tree with several bird nests as if the birds depicted on the menuki are out gathering food for their young. A pretty picture. With its motif and recurring patterns of orange or gold, it's readily apparent that the Zanpakutō mimics the appearance of autumn, which coincidentally so happens to be Kazuo's favoured season. *' ': Its Shikai command is "Flow, Shūkikōjaku (満ち潮, michishio). Kazuo holds his Zanpakutō out in front of him before performing an elegant flourish, as a whirlwind of leaves is conjured up around his body before scattering in all four cardinal directions at once. The leaves themselves are of a rich variety of shapes and colours, ranging from yellow to red and burnt orange. All the colours closely associated with autumn, the larger leaves are of palmate shape, although there are some pinnates as well, along with the greater amount of leaflets and deltoids. One thing is more readily apparent than their shape, however, as although they fall to the ground the moment the Zanpakutō's release is complete, the number in the thousands and cover the entire area around Kazuo in their splendour. Usually intimidating opponents from enclosing upon their newly created territory. Shikai Special Ability: Kazuo fears death, how could he not? If something were to occur him, his sisters would suffer just as he did, without safety nor shelter. Being a Shinigami is dangerous, and many of his kind meet their fate every single year, whether it be to random Hollow ambushes, accidents or murder of peers. When he carried the through his tenure in the Shin'o Academy, it found a steely resolve to survive within his heart, along with a deep sense of love and affection. A burning need to protect his younger siblings from anything that would befall them, to be the father that he knew they'd never have. Not surprisingly, all these protective instincts and desire to live imprinted themselves upon his Zanpakutō, as an unusually powerful and diverse Defense-type Zanpakutō. Yes, the power of Shūkikōjaku can be best described as the power to decrease (静まる, shizumaru) the attacks of Kazuo's opposition, as whenever Kazuo swings his blade in elegant motions, the leaves underneath his feet rustle to life and follow the direction of his blade. they encircle an incoming attack and either suck into a funnel of leaves or deflects our outright blocks it for Kazuo, as each leaf is noted to be extremely resilient to damage, like a thousand miniature shields riding upon the wind. Although intended for defence, it has at least one offensive ability, and the leaves can furthermore be utilised for cover in battle, allowing Kazuo to strike at his enemies while concealed by a wall of leaves. As Shūkikōjaku allows Kazuo's blade only to pass through its incredible defence. Shinigami of the 11th Division has long mocked Kazuo for Shūkikōjaku's abilities, professing that the Zanpakutō reflects his true cowardice as a fighter - defending against attacks he'd otherwise be unable to handle and allowing him to triumph even against superior skill. It's habit of encouraging sneak attacks through the leaves cement this notion as possessing at least a grain of truth to it, but Kazuo would rather be a coward than leaving his sisters without care. That is the simple truth of the matter. Its abilities activated by specific gestures performed by Kazuo, somewhat reminiscent of a blade dance. *'Tawami - Shūkikōjaku' (撓み - 秋季黄雀, "Bend - Autumn Siskin"): By drawing his sword into an elegant upwards arc to either the left or the right, Kazuo activates this ability. As upon the end of this gesture, leaves whirl around him and follow the trajectory of his blade - any projectiles or energy attacks that come close to the dancing leaves will be diverted to follow them through the air, thus dispersing the attack away from Kazuo himself. Opponents who stand close to the leaves might themselves be sucked into the vacuum, hurled some feet into the air and then left to drop back down, breaking the cadence of their attacks. A technique employed against opponents that heavily rely on projectile attacks, such as the , or enemies who possess great elemental powers, such as runaway Kidō Masters. It's well-known for its ability to defend Kazuo and several Second Division members from four fired by several simultaneously, dispersing and deflecting each of the energy blasts and preventing any of his subordinates or himself for that matter from taking any damage whatsoever. *'Goji - Shūkikōjaku' (護持 - 秋季黄雀, "Defend and Maintain - Autumn Siskin"): Initiated by twirling his Zanpakutō in his hand, this technique causes any number of nearby leaves to spring up around Kazuo and manifest into a large circular barrier in front of him, in a manner visually reminiscent of . The shield is constantly in motion, and its size and strength depends upon the numbers of leaves in the whirl, the more leaves, the larger area will it cover and the more powerful it will become. By properly timing this, Kazuo is capable of blocking potent attacks, provided its been allowed to build up beforehand. This technique has proved powerful enough to block the fists of a gargantuan Adjuchas without budging an inch, as because it isn't composed of a single thing, the force of any blow is dispersed evenly across each of the leaves, abating a tremendous amount of force before it's even applied. Kazuo claims this is the primary power of this technique and the primary advantage of Shūkikōjaku as a whole. *'Jiyū - Shūkikōjaku' (自由 - 秋季黄雀, "As it pleases you - Autumn Siskin"): Less of an actual technique than merely being the freeform stance of the Zanpakutō, Jiyū has no specific gesture attached to it and merely responds to Kazuo's blade as is natural. It's considered to be the base state of the Zanpakutō, and it is also where Kazuo eventually learned how to employ it's actual techniques, by experimenting with different steps and understanding their appropriate value. Once he enters this stance, Shūkikōjaku's leaves become much more unpredictable and usually end up confusing his opponent, as he hides behind growing walls of leaves, diverts attention, distorts light by arranging the leaves in different patterns to block out the sun and even manipulates his opponents very sense of space. Shūkikōjaku's leaves blanket the ground, and opponents are usually forced to walk across them to get to Kazuo, and because of their flexible nature, they can be commanded to move even if an opponent is standing on them. Although this isn't very noticeable unless its effects intensify, at which point it becomes almost impossible for an opponent to keep their balance successfully, allowing Kazuo to easily slip past their defences and finish them off with little risk to himself. Through this method, Kazuo was able to outmanoeuvre many members of the 11th Division and defeat them in sparring matches with some ease, and they refuse to acknowledge his victory to this day. Calling it a disgraceful trick. *'Hineri - Shūkikōjaku' (捻り - 秋季黄雀, "Twist - Autumn Siskin"): This is the only technique that Kazuo has thus far developed which actually has powerful offensive uses, and while that might seem like it's primary function, its noted that the core of this technique as well is defensive in nature. Kazuo initiates this stance by sliding his katana across the ground in crescent-lines, continuously - for every crescent drawn this way, around fifty leaves spring up around him and trail after the wake of his sword. Kazuo states that the technique was ultimately intended to function as an immediate counter to follow up after Shūkikōjaku has successfully blocked or deflected an attack or ability. Mostly employed with four crescents, it's power at point is enough to lift an opponent off the ground and twist them around in mid-air at significant speed, before dropping them back down and inducing feelings of nausea, dizziness and disorientation, weakening their ability to fight greatly and dissuading further offence. When performed with six crescents, the offensive power of this technique intensifies greatly, as at that point not only does it frequently cause his opponents to faint due to the rapid circumference, no, it releases their body mid-air and the resulting force sends them flying several meters backwards, away from Kazuo, typically resulting in broken bones or the like. From that point, it increases steadily per additional crescent - although he's never employed this technique at full power against anyone as of yet, he claims that the forces it would unleash on that lone individual trapped by the rotating leaves would be comparable to a targeted at a single person. He goes on to say that even ten crescents, half of the maximum amount possible, would easily kill an unwary opponent and inflict aggravated injuries otherwise. But this technique is rarely employed for offensive strength for while it's an excellent way to surprise and subsequently finish off an opponent, it leaves him open to counterattacks if they should survive or if the attack were to be interrupted in any way. As it scatters the leaves employed in the technique to all four winds and therefore reduces his ability to form effective defences until he's managed to gather them back into a single area.